The Financials of Irish Dance

Irish Dance is an extremely expensive sport. One doesn't realize all that goes into the competitive side of Irish Dance. It's remarkable how much people are willing to spend.

Soft Shoes: $50-85 (if competing in majors it's recommended to have 2 pairs)$95-
Hard Shoes: $95-165
Poodle Socks: $9-20
Tanner: $12-40
Buckles: $20
Tape for shoes: $5
Athletic Tape: $5
Bloomers: $10
Dress: Used- $800+ Custom- $1500+
Wig: 100+
Headband/ crown: $50+
Classes: 100+
Private Classes: $60+
Feis Registration: $60+
Major Registration: $200+

Others: Makeup, duck tape, travel fees, hotel fees, bags/containers, etc.

As you can see, Irish Dance is an extremely expensive sport, which is why people take it so seriously. There aren't any cash prizes at competitions; people just want the titles. I can honestly say nothing feels better than winning a competition or qualifying for majors; every dime spent feels worth it.  The best way I can explain Irish Dance is, "From the outside looking in it's hard to understand. From the inside looking out, it's hard to explain."

What are the Worlds?

The World Championships is the most prestigious dance competition in Irish Dance. The Worlds are the equivalent to the Olympics and less than 1% of dancers qualify for the event.

How do I qualify?
1. You have to qualify for an Oireachtas (regionals).There are seven competition regions in North America: New England, Eastern (Mid-Atlantic), Mid-America (Midwest), Southern, Western United States, Eastern Canada, and Western Canada. In order to do this for the age groups U-13 and below, you must get a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in your prize-winner level dances. For the age groups U-14 and higher, you must be in the level PC (preliminary champion) and place in the top half at least one time at a Feis (local competition that isn't a major). A dancer that is in the age group of U-10 or younger can be entered at the discretion of their teacher.

2. One must recall at the Oireachtas. Here you either qualify for the NAN's (North American Nationals) or the Worlds. To qualify for the Worlds in a single year age group, 5 dancers are qualified for the first 20 dancers, then one more is qualified for every 10 dancers there are beyond the first 20. All World medal holders are automatically re-qualified for the World Championship the following year, so the age group receives one additional qualifying spot for every medal holder. To qualify for the NAN's it's the top ten plus 25% of the total entrants. 

3.  If you don't qualify at Oireachtas for Worlds you can qualify at the NAN's. In order to qualify it's 5 for the first 20 dancers and 1 more for every 10 dancers after that.

What's a Recall?
The scores from the first two rounds (soft & hard shoes) are calculated and the dancers with the highest scores are asked back to dance their 3rd and final round, which is their set dance. The Oireachtas and NAN's recall the top 50% of the total entrants, and the Worlds recalls the top 30%. 

When are the Major Competitions?
July 4th weekend: NAN's
Fall: Oireachtas (each region has a different time- the Mid-West Region is over Thanksgiving)
October: All- Ireland Championships
February: All-Scotland Championships
Easter Weekend: World Championships

Everything Comes to an End

The biggest question I get is: Why are you quitting? Usually I just shrug my shoulders and say it's time but there's a real reason as to why.

1. My body can't do it anymore. I have to stretch 3x more than the average dancer, I have to train 3x harder, and my feet just can't handle it anymore. I've had multiple injuries from pulled muscles, stress fractures, sprains, and plantar fasciitis. The harder I train, the harder it is on my body and my body is telling me it's over. After dance practices I am in pain, sometimes it's hard to walk.

2. I outgrew it. There was a time in my life that I love putting on the wig, makeup, tanner, sparkles, etc. but now I just don't look forward to it. I enjoy some parts since it's part of the sport, but mostly I think it's ridiculous.

3. I've accomplished all my goals. I set high goals for myself, and they took me years to achieve, but once I finally achieved them I lost motivation. I knew it was time to quit when I looked back on my career and didn't have any regrets. There wasn't a single time where I thought I wish I could've done better.

4. Graduation is coming in 3 short months and dance just doesn't fit in with my life anymore. I've noticed through my several internships that having a job and dancing is a lot harder than dancing while in school.

Even though it's common to dance past the age of 21, I am happy I am quitting. I've had the greatest memories that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Even though I am quitting my competitive dance career  after Worlds in March, I know there is more for me out there; I will be taking my teaching certification exam in May 2016 and going from there. I will always love Irish Dance and am so thankful I have had the experiences that I did; I look forward to what the future will bring!

Relax

Diets are very common in the competitive Irish Dance world, as well as other sports, but I think they are more harmful than good. "Dieting" is very damaging to a persons mental health and one must be careful how they phrase eating habits to younger dancers. Telling a 7 year old that Nationals is in a few short months and you shouldn't be eating ice cream or drinking soda is detrimental to their mental health in my opinion. Eating junk food is normal; that's something we should do. I am not saying go overboard on the junk food but if you want an ice cream cone...get it; it's not going to keep you from placing, which sadly many people believe.

I have never been put on any form of diet thanks to my parents. My mom has always been an active dance mom and was aware of dieting in the dance world, which is why she made sure to keep me from it. Sadly, dancers look at top dancers who naturally have long skinny legs and want to be just like them (I don't think our media helps) but parents need to be more aware of it. There are several top dancers, even world champions who have different builds than the tall girls, and that is healthy. Everyone is built differently, and that's what makes them beautiful, unique, and fun to watch.

I have a different build than most dancers. I am short compared to most of my group and have more of a muscular build, but that doesn't mean I am any worse of a dancer than the taller girls. In some ways it made me work harder and get noticed. I had to find the dance styles that looked best on me and showcased my talents. I've placed 5th at regionals while eating McDonalds when I wanted to, ice cream when I wanted to, and many more delicious meals. It's possible to be successful and be a normal kid/teenager.

I also wish more dancers realized it's okay to have a life outside of dance. I love dance, I love competing, I love practicing, I love the friends I have made, I love traveling the world, and like most I love seeing results. Everyone practices, everyone wants to get better, but try not to miss out on things like Prom, Clubs, joining a sorority, and many more opportunities because of dance. Coming to college I set of goal of qualifying for worlds and I was hesitant about getting involved on campus because of my dance training. In high school I was a variety soccer player, and a member of several clubs and organizations all while dancing so I thought College could be the same. I joined a sorority, made friends that will last a lifetime, held several positions within my chapter, and joined organizations on campus all while still training heavily for Regionals, Nationals, and the World Championships.

Mainly what I am trying to say is that it's all about balance. Go to the birthday dinner your friend invited you to. If you were going to practice that day move your practice to another day, but make sure you follow through with it. You can still have fun outside of dance while still working and training hard. It's important to remember that dance like other sports isn't just about the competitive aspect. It's about the friends you meet and the places you had the opportunity to travel to. When I look back, I am not going to remember what place I got at the All-Ireland's in 2012; I am going to remember traveling to Ireland and sightseeing with my grandma and mom while meeting up with old friends. When I look back on my college years I am not going to remember when I practiced/how I trained, I am going to remember my friends cheering me on and all the memories I made at Bradley. Those are the memories that matter the most so don't miss out them just take a deep breath and balance your schedule; I promise you it'll be worth it.